Belvidere North goes for 3rd NIC-10 cheerleading title

The Belvidere North cheerleading team doesn't choose to hang its hat on the fact that it is a co-ed squad.

With 10 males and 10 females on this year's team, North co-coach Tammy Rentschler said it isn't "always a recipe for success."

"We have more muscle power, but we score lower in the motions category - so our routine is designed to highlight true co-ed skills" said Rentschler, who was named the NIC-10 coach of the year last year and her team won its second straight conference title. "That is to say, a guy holding a girl over his head with arms extended and no assistance,"

Despite graduating two first-team all-conference cheerleaders in Nicho Reppert and the conference MVP, Jake O'Connor, North remains a favorite to defend the title. As it has been for many years, the likes of Belvidere, Hononegah and Boylan will chase as well as Guilford, which took fourth at last season's meet.

"Our season has been inconsistent thus far, so it just depends which school hits the cleanest routine with the least deductions on Thursday," Rentschler said. "This is a fun competition in that all the kids know and support one another, as do the coaches.

"Sectionals are next Saturday, so although we may all be competing against each other Thursday, we are split into different divisions for IHSA sectionals and really cheer each other on. We all realize that the more teams from our area we can advance to state, the better we are doing as coaches and for our conference as a whole."

If North wins, it will become the third team in NIC-10 cheerleading history to capture three titles, joining Belvidere and Hononegah.